Wendy Williams is taking 3 weeks off from her popular daytime talk show after announcing she has thyroid disease. The 53-year-old talk show host made the announcement on the Wendy Williams Show on Wednesday morning.
Williams told her audience that she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, a disease of the thyroid gland in front of the throat.
“My doctor has prescribed — are you ready? — three weeks of vacation,” Williams told her shocked audience on Wednesday. “I was pissed. Encore performances, really?”
Williams famously fell out on the set during a Halloween episode in 2017. She claimed she felt overheated in her Statue of Liberty costume.
Hyperthyroidism is caused by an overproduction of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland.
Thyroid hormone is responsible for regulating the body’s metabolism and protein synthesis. Thyroid hormones affects how the body breaks down protein, fat and carbohydrates and converts them to energy.
What Causes Graves’ Disease?
The cause of Graves’ disease isn’t clear. Graves’ disease is a genetic disorder of the immune system that runs in families. Factors for Graves’ disease include stress (such as learning your husband is cheating on you); infection or injury which causes inflammation of the thyroid gland; eating too much iodine (such as table salt); or a tumor of the pituitary gland at the base of the skull (pituitary adenoma).
Signs & Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of Graves’ disease include (please note that not everyone has all of these S&S):
How is Graves’ Disease Diagnosed?
Graves’ disease is diagnosed when you present with one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
Your doctor will give you a physical examine and draw blood for specific thyroid hormone tests (T4 and T3), radioactive iodine (RAI) uptake, TSH, and CT scan or ultrasound.
What Are the Treatments for Graves’ Disease?
Treatments include diet (don’t eat foods high in iodine); anti-thyroid drugs to hinder the production of thyroid hormones; and sometimes surgery to remove whole or part of the thyroid gland or pituitary tumor.
This has been your Medical Minute.
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